Our Services and What we do...
INHOFF
A number of years ago, we were asked by the City of Kelowna to repair the Bennett clock, located by the fountain next to the City Hall.
We appreciate the trust that the City of Kelowna placed in us to repair this high profile Landmark.
We specialize in Repairs and Service of all kinds of clocks, either mechanical, electro-mechanical, electrical or the modern Quartz style. We will take on Watch repairs to fine, quality watches on a special, ad-hoc basis.
We also sell new Howard Miller & Ridgeway Clocks, in some cases with direct drop-ship delivery.
From time to time, we offer selected antique clocks for sale.
Trade Work
Yes, we do Trade Work for other jewelers and merchants in the Okanagan Valley.
If you would like to accept clocks for repair, increase your profits whilst dealing with a reputable and upstanding repair facility, please contact us. We look forward to working with you to increase your client base.
clocks
We specialize in:
We make house calls for servicing and the repair of larger clocks ( i.e.- Grandfather or Grandmother style, antique Tall Case or Hall clocks), or on an appointment basis. As a large portion of our clientele is elderly, we will also pick up your timepiece if you are not able to come to us.
We are fortunate to have a number of connoisseurs and collectors amongst our customer base. They trust us to look after their fine timepieces in a manner that these exquisitely crafted collectible timepieces deserve. There are not a lot of collectors that would trust their $10,000 to $75,000 clocks to a repairman, but we have been entrusted to work on quite a number of these prized possessions.
We also do appraisals on Horological timepieces and music-boxes for both Private or Insurance purposes.
- Antique clocks of all types
- Grandfather clocks
- Atmos & anniversary clocks
- Black Forest & Cuckoo clocks
- Commercial & Institutional
- Insurance appraisals
- Wall & Mantle clocks
- Carriage clocks
- Bracket clocks & regulators
- Wooden movements
- Tower clocks
- Electro-mechanical / Electric & Quartz clocks
- Repairs in cases of Theft & Fire Damage
Clock moving, Pre-Pack and Setup Services available.
Authorized Service Center
We have been an authorized Howard Miller, Kieninger and Ridgeway clocks Service Center since 1995.
Phone Consultations
Some problems are readily repaired by the Customer, provided that they know how. We are available for phone consultations at a rate of $50.- /hour. This works out cheaper than a Service Call and gives you the added knowledge for future reference. Payment can be made via Paypal.
Generally, we try to steer clear from “Over-Restorations”. We will repair, overhaul, clean as required, in a minimally invasive way. We do not believe in replacing parts unless required. This has earned us the reputation of being upright, forthcoming, honest and looking after your best interests.
We do not lock clients into yearly maintenance agreements (unless the client wishes us to do so). We do not “clean, overhaul and oil” your clock in your premises, as this is not a proper repair method. Nor is it in your best interest to do so. However, if a proper repair can be carried out in-situ on your premises, we will always do so.
We employ time-proven repair techniques and will strive to replicate period correct repairs to your timepiece, be it a modern, factory built clock or a one-of-a-kind collectible antique.
We have both modern and old-style tools / machinery, specialized clock & watchmaker’s lathes and other specialized horological tools. We employ specialized inspection techniques and have a Stereo Microscope for getting that “absolutely close look” that is sometimes required. Although we employ Ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning a variety of parts, all parts are also cleaned by hand, rinsed and double checked for correct cleaning efficacy. We use hand buffing and machinery. In essence- we use whatever is best for your clock, not the quickest method to get the job out the door, at a detriment to Service Quality.
Please note that we must charge a mileage charge for Service Calls not in our immediate Service Area. Please enquire
We repair the following types of clocks:
Generally, all mechanical, electro-mechanical and quartz clocks. Mantle clocks, Regulators, Wall clocks, Bracket clocks, Carriage clocks, Atmos and 400-day clocks, Astronomical clocks, wooden movements, Ships’ clocks, automotive clocks (especially the mechanical and electro-mechanical varieties of antique and collector cars). We have even repaired and restored antique music boxes or time clocks (punch card and even the earlier types).
Atmos & 400 day clocks require specialized repair techniques, the former even more so. We have repaired and/or overhauled hundreds of these fine clocks.
We work on regulators, again both antique and modern. Nothing can approach the accuracy of a fine antique European Precision Regulator. The movement and casework are generally exquisite in both design and manufacture.
Of course, some clocks are more worthy of a repair than others. However, the ultimate value of a timepiece is what it is worth to you, not always in a monetary sense, but also in the sentimental journey it has been privy to in our lives.
We will generally replace quartz style movements for efficiency and cost effectiveness, unless they are of a certain collectable vintage. However, for some of the earliest examples, parts are now pretty much non-existent.
We also work on Tower Clocks and/or Commercial clocks. We have worked on Kelowna’s Bennett Clock near City Hall, as well as some in other municipalities. We have also worked on large clocks at shopping malls and hotels. I have also worked on various large clocks in the 1970/80’s in Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa together with my father, while still living in Montreal.
Our specialties are:
• Grandfather and Long-case clocks, both antique and modern. We have restored movements dating to the late 1600’s.
• Atmos and mechanical 400 day clocks. Very few repairmen will repair these types of clocks, with fewer still qualified to do Atmos repairs.
• Cuckoo clocks, both antique and modern, weight driven or spring wound. This includes wooden movements.
• Regulators of various kinds (Vienna, German, Laboratory etc.)
What we do:
• We start by doing a thorough inspection and by giving you an estimate of the work required to return your timepiece to a functioning state, or, as per your mandated scope of work. At this time, we will also give you an indication of what parts are required.
• We will take a number of “before” photographs for documentation purposes.
• We will disassemble the entire movement (including the spring barrels, ratchets etc.) prior to cleaning.
• After a thorough cleaning of all parts, we will then re-assemble the movement and check for wear and problem areas.
• The movement is then disassembled and repaired as required. This includes any possibly required bushing work, polishing of pivots as required or replacement of the mainsprings, for example.
• If unforeseen parts are required, we will always consult with you prior to going ahead with the repair. For example- Just because you can wind up all 3 springs of a Mantle clock and there is proper tension on the key when doing so, does not mean that the internal spring is not damaged or torn. However, this can not be seen until this component is completely removed, dismantled (and in some cases only after the part has been cleaned). For this reason, all our quotes are plus parts required, as required. You, our customer, are always in control of the repair and restoration process.
• Re-assembly of the movement and test-run the clock.
• Take a number of “after” (and during repair process) photographs as required.
• Regulate and adjust your timepiece using modern Test and Measuring Equipment before returning your clock to you.
What we DO NOT do:
• WE DO NOT DO SPLASH AND DUNK CLEANING JOBS. That’s like taking your car to the garage and asking for an engine overhaul and the mechanic cleans the exterior of the engine, but hasn’t looked inside for wear and tear. A clock movement can not be properly cleaned in this manner.
• We do not install bushings etc. from the outside (i.e.-"Rathburn" bushings), without taking the movement apart. If someone tells you that they can do this, then stay away. If the movement is not taken apart, then the dirt is still in the nooks and crannies, between the pivots and their respective holes. A replacement cannot be properly sized, cleaned nor installed from the outside on an assembled movement. Even then, the new one will wear rapidly due to the dirt build-up on the pivot. Any "Rathburn" style bushing will greatly devalue any clock on which it is installed, as it is considered a "Bodge" or "Kludge" job.
• Polish all brass or metal pieces on a clock and its’ casework. We believe in a minimal, non-invasive restoration process. An antique clock that is 200 years old should show the patina of it’s’ age, not look like the day it rolled out of the clockmakers shop. Unless it’s been in a museum all of it’s’ life. More people have ruined the intrinsic value of a rare antique horological timepiece by polishing everything in sight, or heaven forbid, regluing the woodwork with epoxy or polyurethane glue. Same goes for non-period correct fasteners, unless absolutely required.
• We do not do “Buck-sheet” or “MacGyver” repairs.
What we DO NOT do on your premises:
• We will not clean your Horological timepiece in your home. Nor will we, for all intents and purposes, take it apart in your living room, den or on your kitchen table. We also do not bring our own work table or bench into your home, so that we can clean or repair your timepiece in-situ.
• We will (generally, with a few exceptions) not oil or re-oil your clock in your home. The introduction of the new oil to the grit, grime, dust etc. found in the oil-sinks will create a perfect cutting fluid. Your clock will now wear out at an even greater rate in the next few months than it had in the last few years previously.